Thursday, 31 March 2011

Those of you who are Lithuanian (and maybe Polish or Russian or Latvian) might know what "Kaziuko Muge" is. For those of you who is not aware I will try to describe it. Well it is a Lithuanian fair where lots of people come together on the street and sell hand made stuff like jewelery, crafts, food and many other things. Others come just to buy (like me!). The fair is traditionally held on the Sunday nearest to St. Casimir's Day, March 4, the day Saint Casimir died. I know I am writing about this now when it is almost April, but I have been lucky this year. I recently went to Lithuania for my mums birthday (11th of March) and realized that the Fair have been moved forward to 12th-13th of March. I got excited of course and grabbed a bunch of friends (including my mum) and made my way to the Laisves Aleja (Freedom Alley) where "Kaziuko Muge" takes place. You won't believe how many things I bought! First I got attracted by two wooden angels that you can see above (I have a thing for angels ;)). I also found the earnings with red stones in the middle very pretty (red is one of my favorite colors) displayed bellow....

On top of this I bought 1kg of wool tread... Call me crazy, but I do love knitting! The only thing is that I can't find time for this indulge :(. I got so many unfinished knitting projects! Once I was knitting gloves for my dad (birthday present) and I did not finish it, but I did write a card with a promise to finish.... Three years later he still sometimes shows me the card with the promise (he uses that card as his book-marker) and the gloves are still not finished, but they are still somewhere and I still can promise that it will be completed!.... one day... :/
At the fair some elderly was selling a hand made soap and I always wanted to learn how to make my own soap, but until that happens I bought the whole lot... seven blocks :/...Well they did smell nice and looked all pretty like cakes....and I was too greedy to share it with my friend Vicki :(

And finally, I bought herbs. Most of them are wild flowers, weeds and things that grow unwanted everywhere. Well you know... nettle for instance :) I have never seen anybody sowing nettle seed, nettle just comes uninvited whether you want it or not. But, before you get all angry with the nettle I have to say: nettle has good qualities! Like people, nettle is not perfect, but definitely wants to be friendly. Nettle tea fights coughs, tuberculosis and asthma; It also counters arthritis, rheumatism, tendonitis and other disorders of the muscles and joints; Nettle tea combats a variety of intestinal disorders; Nettle tea fights skin problems; Nettle tea fights allergies like eczema, and hay fever. And many many more things :)

Finally I would just like to say that "Kaziuko Muge" is lots of fun and is a must visit event when you are in Lithuania! And you can always negotiate prices there! Well that's the part I find most fun! :)

Sunday, 20 March 2011

I don’t know about you but I am a big fan of the American sitcom “Desperate Housewives”. In fact that's the only TV program I watch! Anyway, there is one part I find really funny where Bree (the one that has her own catering business) tried to steal the recipe from Katherine (one of her neighbors in Wisteria Lane). It all started when “the girls” (other neighbours) liked Katherine's lemon meringue pie better than Bree’s. Bree of course gets jealous (as you may all know she likes to be the best in baking). Initially she asks for the recipe, but to my surprise Katherine refuses! So Bree goes for even more shocking action and tries to steal it by breaking into the the Katherine’s house.... I always wonder why in Wisteria Lane people don’t lock their door? Is this what they do in USA? That surely would not work in London if you can imagine!

Anyway, few weeks ago I had a similar situation. My best friend Vicki’s birthday was coming up and I was looking for a good cake recipe she would really like. I knew Vicki loves cheesecakes, chocolate, coffee and alcohol (sometimes I am even concerned that she might be an alcoholic... ha ha, only joking ;-)). Anyway, I remembered that she really liked the cake that one girl (her name is Jada) from my Church made . It was a cake made of cookies, cream and of course alcohol! I decided to ask Jada for the recipe as I knew she got it from her aunt. And guess what, Jada told me that her aunt does not want to give that recipe away!!! I was gobsmacked! How can this be? At that point I felt exactly like Bree felt, I finally could relate and understand her motivations to commit her “crime”. I bet if Jada’s aunt was living in the setting of Wisteria Lane and especially if she did not lock her house door, I would be definitely tempted to steal that recipe! Never mind, I have realized that I still live in London and I absolutely have no idea where Jada’s aunt lives. So I had to come up with more civilized option. I decided to create a recipe from my own memory of how that desert tasted. I can only say that the cake came out successful and it managed to generate me some praising (that I always love!). And... Jada, if you are reading this, I am definitely not upset. I am actually really proud of you that you managed to keep the promise you gave to your aunt :)

1. Mix coconut milk with the rum.
First time I made this cake ( when testing the ingredients) I bought coconut milk that was creamy and thick. but when I was making it second time (for the actual birthday) I bought different brand ("Island Sun") and it came runny and not as sweet as previous brand. I was initially panicking, but quickly fixed it with a little bit of icing sugar (I find that icing sugar blends easier) and creamed coconut (luckily I had it in my cupboard!). I think it came out as good as the first time!
2. Dip cookies in badges and let it soak in rum and coconut milk mix for a little but no longer than 3min (otherwise it will turn into porridge!)
3. Line all soaked cookies into the spring form.
4. Whip double cream and cover cookies with it (Just don't whip it too much as then it is difficult for it to get through the cookies' gaps). I Don't think Jada put double cream in her cake but I did it so my cake looks pretty :D
5. Decorate it with flaked chocolate (just take the bit of plain dark chocolate and run knife edge trough it. At least that's the way I find the easiest to flake the chocolate.
6. Before enjoying keep it in the fridge for at least one night (Don't be tempted to put into freezer).

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

I just came back from IFE Food and Drink Exhibition where I had such a great time! It was overwhelming as I not only had a opportunity to try different foods but also to see new products that are about to come onto the market (to the shops to be available for us to buy and enjoy).

The winner in my mind is this drink called "Wood Juice Birch" (made from Birch sap). The reason why I can appreciate it is because I know the truth value of it as traditionally in Lithuania (in old days) we used to collect tree "sap" (in Lithuania we call it "sula") for many health benefits (my grandma could make you the whole list for you). It's only available in spring as the water streams (sap) starts traveling trough the tree after heavy winter, therefore this would not work in UK (simply because there is not enough of snow during winter).

Here is the description on the bottle: "From centuries Birch was seen as very beneficial for human health. It was used to help eliminating extensive water from organism and get rid of body toxins. It was recognized by great nutrition and health values. Birch sap is 100% vegetal juice collected on early spring directly from the trees located in untouched nature where no industrial facilities are around...."

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About Me

I will start with saying that I was never born as a perfect cook. I only
got in love with baking and food later in life when I moved to London
and had no other option as learning to satisfy my all time hunger for
cakes. Yes, it is bad habit to eat sweet, especially just after the
dinner but every time I can't resist the feeling that somehow the dinner
is just not completed without the dessert!
My learning took bit by bit from watching my friends cook and eventually
from following the recipes. My first time experience on baking was when
I was 9 years old. I baked a cake to impress my mum for her birthday. I
don’t know what went wrong, but it came out really flat, thin and
unbaked inside. I will always remember the expression on my mum's face:
she was trying to eat it with the smile on her face. So... if after this
I can bake I believe everybody have a potential to do it too. The most
important ingredient for it is love for food!
Anyway, I am coming to the end. My main dream is to open a community cafe So
keep following my blog if you interested to see my journey towards this goal.
Thank you so much for your support :-)